lincoln



(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

O. L. LINCOLN. Y

LOOK.

No. 461,350. Patented Oct. 13,1891.

WITNESSES JV a. OZMM" (ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

O. L. LINCOLN.

LOOK.

No. 461,350. Patented Oct. 13, 1891.

I WIYWE'SSES fl- W CHARLES L. LINCOLN, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

. LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,350, dated October13, 1891.

Application filed November 29, 1890. Serial N 373,051. (ModeL) To allwhom, it 7nay concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. LINCOLN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Locks;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

' in an unlocked condition.

and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in locks; and it consists incertain. novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, aswill be fullydescribed in the following specification and accompanyingdrawings, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan viewshowing the lock in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the lock withthe top removed. Fig. 3 is a plan of the outer bolt. bolt. Fig. 5 is aside and edge view of one of thetumblers. Fig. 6 is a side and edgeView; of one of the fences. Fig. 7 is a side and edge Fig. 8 is'a topview of one of the guides. plan of the casing with the lid and contentsremoved. Fig. 9 is a perspective side view of the set-screw post andset-screw removed from the casing and separated from each other, Fig. 10is a side elevation of the lock Fig. 11 is a similar view showing alocked condition. Fig. 12 shows set-screw raised, so that its head willproject into the seat provided for it on the inner face of the outerbolt. Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the collar 27, into which the keyis entered. Fig. 14 is a plan of the key provided with clefts. 1

Referring to the several parts by their figures of designation, 1 is thebody or casing, which may be made rectangular or of other preferredform, and is intended to inclose the various details of the lock andsecure the same in their operative position. The bottom of the box willbe referred to as the inners, suitable holes, in which standards areerected which secure the parts of the casing together. The top will bereferred to as the outer side of the box, and is in like manner providedwith suitable holes to receive the Fig. 4 is a plan of the inner otherends of the standards just referred to.

The object of my improved lock is to provide simple and effective meansof enabling any one to readily change the combination at will.Heretofore it has been necessary in effecting a change of combination inlooks of this character to employ some one skilled in the mechanism.forming the look, while I have produced a lock of which the combinationmay be easily changed without the necessity of removing'any part of thelock or without it being necessary to open the same, as will be fullydescribed.

Arranged parallel and adjacent to the inner side of the casing is one ofthe locking bars or bolts, a view of which is shown in Fig. 4 of thedrawings. a piece of sheet metal of any preferredkind, and is providedwith the hole 3 in' its lefthand end, the outer side of such holepresenting the periphery of a semicircle, while the inner end terminatesin a rectangular form,

the diameter being greater horizontally than vertically. The other endof the bolt is provided with a hole 4, which is practically cylindrical,excepting that its upper periphery is extended to form the truncatedapex of a cone, while its lower right-hand side is cut away. The objectin thus cutting away the hole 4 is to make it possible that the saidbolt This bolt consists of may be reciprocated without'coming in concaseof the opening t.

Within the casing and between the bolts just described are mounted thevarious parts -form1n g the operating mechanism of the combination-lock,which I will now'proceed to describe. ner side, and has formed thereinat its cor- The said bolts are connected by standards at severaldifferent points, upon one of which 8 is mounted the series of tumblers9, one.

above the other. These tumblers consist of a piece of sheet metal andare somewhat oblong in form, one end being provided with the cylindricalopening to receive the post 8, while the other is cut away to form theopening 10, which may be of any preferred shape. When the tn mblers areplaced upon the standard or post 8, they will have a vertical swingthereon, and in order that their free ends may be held normally downwardI provide the spring 14, one end of which is feathered in, preferably,the lower or inner edge of the tumbler and then bent around such end andbrought parallel with the upper side of the tumbler and arranged to bearaginst the side of the casing, where it may be secured by any suitablemeans. Each of the tumblers is arranged to engage with a fence 15,whichis formed of a piece of sheet metal, having a slightly g'reaterthickness than the tumblers, and it consists of the body 16, of asufficient length to reach nearly across the end of the casing, whileits inner end, is provided with the extension 17, which reaches inwardlytoward the tumblers and lies at right angles with the bodyandsubstantially parallel with the tumblers.

In building up the combination of the lock I place upon the post 8 thefirst of a series of tumblers, which it is adapted to carry. A fence 15is then placed so that its body 16 will lie nearly at right angles withthe tumbler and its inner end 17 reaching into the opening 10. Upon thefence thus placed is laid the guide 20, which consists of a piece ofthin sheet metal and is formed as shown in Fig. 7'

of the drawings. The lower end 21 of the guide, it will be seen, iscutaway, so as to have the remaining part conform in width to the bodyof the fence, while the upper right-hand corner 22 is provided with therectangular notch, which is adapted to prevent contact withthe'corner-post by which the casing is held together. Between thetumblers 9 Iarrange the washers 23, which serve to bring each tumbler upto the proper level to engage with its respective fence 15, and whichalso prevent friction between the sides of thetum ble'rs.

I have described but one of the many forms of construction that may befollowed in forming the contacting ends of the tumblers and fence; butit will be readily understood that many variations of construction maybe used, as preferred.

The tumblers and fences with their intervening guides and washers may bemultiplied in number, as preferred, and it will be readily seen that thelarger the number of these parts employed thegreater the capacity of thelock for having changes in its combination made.

The inner and outer sides of the casing are each provided withcylindrical diametrical openings'24, which form a seat for the bar orlooking bolt proper 37, which is mounted therein and adapted to slidelongitudinally, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings.These parts are also provided with similar holes 25 and 26, whichprovide a seat for the collar 27, extending entirely through from oneside of the casing to the other and is arranged to turn with the key,its larger end being secured or countersunk in the lid.

I secure near the right-hand end of the side of the casing the set-screwpost 28, which has two functions, one of which is to hold the fenceloosely between itself and the end of the casing, while its secondfunction is to provide a seat for the set-screw 29, the object of whichwill now be made apparent. It will be observed that the side of theset-screw post adjacent to the fence is cut away, so that the top of theset-screw will project over said fence and secure thesame when the screwis turned home. Itwill be also observed that the top of the post iscountersunk, so that the head of the set-screw may disappear in orbecome parallel with the top of the projecting edges of the set-screwpost.

Each corner 37 of the bolts 2 and 4 are properly cut away, so that eachend of the bolt may be brought closely in contact with each end of thecasing, as will be readily understood from the foregoing description.

The two bolts 2 and at carry the operating mechanism and are adapted toslide or reciprocate within the casing proper. In order that theboltsmay be firmly connected together suitable posts 30, 31, 8, and 32are drawn from the set-screw post. In order that the tumblers may beprevented from depressing lower than the upper periphery of the hole 25I erect the post 34;, and secure the same' between the inner and outerbolts.

The required number of tumblers and fences with their guides and washersare placed in position when the set-screw29 is turned home in theset-screw post, when its projecting edge will reach over and firmlysecure the small ends of the guides and the intervening ends of thefence. The outer bolt is then placed in position'so as to receive theupper or outer ends of the several standards, when it may be secured bybrazing or upsetting such ends, as may be preferred. The collar is thenplaced in position so that its inner end will be received by the opening25, while its outer end will be suitably countersunk in the lid of thecasing.

- When the lock is being put together, the bolts or locking-plates 2 5,which move together, are slid back into their unlocked position, asshown in Fig. 10, and as the 'series of tumblers 9 are placed on thepivoted post and the series of fences 15 are placed in position theirinner ends 17 are fitted into the openings 10 of the several tumblers.The springs 14 press the free recessed ends of the tumblers downward,and the fences 15 are thus slid and normally held down in their thetumbler-springs let. A screw-driver adapted for the purpose is theninserted through a hole 35 made in the outer casing immediately abovethe head of the set-screw and through a registering-hole 36, formed inthe outer bolt of the locking-plate, as shown in Fig. 3, and theset-screw 29 is partlywithdrawn from the top of the post 28 by partlyunscrewing it until its head rises into the seat 33, formed in the innerside of the outer locking-plate. The key 45 is then inserted through thekey-hole 27 in the collar 27. Any desiredv number of recesses or clefts46, the position and depth of which may be varied as desired, are formedin the blade or Web of the key, each recess registering with one of thespring-actuated tumblers 9a The key after being inserted is turnedaround to raise the tumblers 9, the tumblers being raised to differentheights, according to the depth of the recesses 46 in the web of thekey, with which they register. As the several'tumblers are thus moved upthey carry with them their respective fences 15. When the web of the keyis thus turned around into its upward vertical position, moving thetumblers and fences up with it, as described, the set-screw 29 isscrewed tightly down, so as to hold the several adjustable fences 15firmly at the point to which they have been moved or adjusted by thetumblers. By now turning the key to the left the locking-plates 2 3 willbe slid to the left, or into their locked position, as the web of thekey presses against the curved sides of the openings 4 and 7 and engagewith the transverse grooves or recesses 40 in the locking-bolt proper37. I

To unlock the lock, it is only necessary to turn the key to the right,when its notched web will raise the several tumblers 9, and, owing tothe previous adjustment ofthe fences 15, before described, which areremovably held in their adjusted position by the pivoted set-screw 29,when the web of the key has raised the several tumblers to theirdifferent heights (according to the depth of the notches in it) itbegins to slide the lockingplates 2 5 back. The openings 10 of theseveral tumblers will exactly register with the arms 17 of the fences15, so that said arms will enter the said openings as the tumblers arecarried back by the sliding locking-plates. It will be seen from theforegoing that the combination of the lock can be changed at any time bythe owner without opening the look by using a key withdifferently-arranged web notches or notches of different depth and bysimply loosening the set-screw 29 and adjusting the tumblers and fenceswith the key, as above described, and then turning the set-screw to aproper point to hold-the fences in their adjusted positions. 4

It will further beseen that the key used in setting. the combinationwill be the only key with which it is possible tounlook it.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A lock having the sliding bolts 2 and 5, joined together bysecuring-posts 30, 31, 32, and S, the latter pivotally securing theseries of tumblers, the former bolt provided with the holes or openings3 and 4 and the latter with the openings 6, 7, and 36, the inner side ofthe latter opening being cut away or countersunk to provide a seat forthe head of the set-screw when it is partly Withdrawn from the set-screwpost, the fences having their bodies placed parallel with the end of thecas ing and their inner ends adapted to enter the openings provided inthe free ends of the tumblers when unlocked, as set forth.

2. In a lock, the combination of the body or casing, the tumblerspivotally mounted therein upon the post 8 and provided on their freeends with the opening 10 and the rim arranged to reach over the cut-awaysec* tion of the post, and thus secure the fence and guides firmlytogether when it is turned home, and the sliding bolts held together bysuitable posts and mounted within the casing and carrying said tumblers,fences, guides, and set-screw post in their respective operativepositions, and provided with openings 3, 4, 6, and 7, all arranged toslide or recip rocate longitudinally within the casing, as set forth.

3. In a lock, the combination of the casing, the sliding bolts securedtherein and having their ends adapted to enter grooves in thelocking-bolt, the series of tumblers, guides, and fences constructed andarranged substantially as described, mounted between the sliding bolts,the set-screw post erected upon the inner bolt, and the set-screwsecured in said post and adapted to hold the fences and guides in a setposition when said screw is turned home or have its head ener the seatprovided for it on the inner side of the outer bolt when withdrawn fromsaid. post, the locking-bolt reaching through holes 24 in the casing andsecured against further longitudinal movement when the sliding boltsenter the grooves provided in said locking-bolt, all substantially asdescribed, and for the purpose named.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHAS. L. LINCOLN.

IIO

